Society Of Senior Ford Fellows

IN 2021, THE SOCIETY OF SENIOR FORD FELLOWS (SSFF) ENTERED ITS FIRST FULL YEAR OF INCORPORATION FOLLOWING OFFICIAL INCORPORATION IN SPRING OF 2020. 2021 WAS ALSO THE SECOND YEAR OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, WHICH INFLUENCED OUR PROGRAM DELIVERY. THE SSFF FOCUSED PROGRAM SERVICES ON MEMBERS SERVICES INCLUDING DEVELOPMENT OF A WEB-BASED, PUBLIC FACING MEMBERSHIP DIRECTORY AND GROWTH OF THE MEMBERSHIP BASE. SSFF INCOME IN 2021 WAS ENTIRELY BASED ON THIS MEMBERSHIP CAMPAIGN AND ASSOCIATED MEMBER DONATIONS, INCLUDING A ONE YEAR INAUGURAL MEMBER DONATION OPPORTUNITY. THE DIRECTORY HAS BEEN USED BY ACADEMIC INSTITUTIONS AND THE PRESS TO IDENTIFY SCHOLARS FOR PANELS AND ARTICLES. IT IS ALSO USED BY MEMBERS AND STUDENTS TO IDENTIFY POTENTIAL MENTORS. THE SSFF BEGAN WITH 79 MEMBERS IN JANUARY AND HAD 299 MEMBERS BY THE END OF THE CALENDAR YEAR. OUR ANNUAL PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT CONFERENCE WAS HELD VIRTUALLY IN OCTOBER OF 2021. WE ANTICIPATE ONE ADDITIONAL YEAR OF VIRTUAL CONFERENCE WITH A TRANSITION TO IN-PERSON IN 2022 (HEALTH GUIDELINES PERMITTING). THE 2021 CONFERENCE PROVIDED SCHOLARLY PRESENTATIONS WITH A KEYNOTE ADDRESS BY DR. RASHAWN RAY AS WELL AS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SESSIONS ADDRESSING KEY ASPECTS OF THE ACADEMIC LIFE CYCLE. THE SESSIONS WERE: ADVOCACY IN THE PUBLIC SPHERE; LEADERSHIP TRANSITIONS; MENTORING AND NETWORKING; PROMOTION FROM ASSOCIATE TO FULL; AND WORK-LIFE BALANCE. VIRTUAL CONFERENCES ARE FREE AND IN 2020 AND 2021 WERE NOT LIMITED TO SSFF MEMBERS. TWO HUNDRED AND TWENTY SCHOLARS REGISTERED FOR THE 2021 CONFERENCE WITH ABOUT 180 ATTENDING SOME PART OF THE CONFERENCE. IN 2021, THE SSFF ALSO BUILT INFRASTRUCTURE TO PREPARE FOR GRANT APPLICATIONS IN 2022. THE AIM IS FOR SSFF TO FACILITATE MEMBER NETWORKS TO SUBMIT COLLABORATIVE PROPOSALS ON COMMUNITY ENGAGED SCHOLARSHIP. ADDITIONALLY, THE SSFF WILL APPLY FOR FUNDING TO SUPPORT MEMBER SERVICES AND PROGRAM ADMINISTRATION. THE INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPED IN 2021 INCLUDED EXPANSION OF THE SSFF WEB-PRESENCE AND MEMBER-TO-MEMBER COMMUNICATION TOOLS, ESTABLISHMENT OF POLICIES AND PROTOCOLS REGARDING FINANCIAL DISTRIBUTIONS, A PLATFORM FOR POSTING PROJECT PRODUCTS.